Chapter 250 Everyone was shocked. The emperor did not have the fairyland behind him!
October 16, the seventy-sixth year of the Jiajing reign.
At this time, the beginning of winter had long passed, the weather was gloomy, and the weather was gradually getting cooler.
At noon, the cabinet ministers went to Yuxi Palace to discuss state affairs.
This time, the Yuxi Palace held a political meeting less than a year after the last Gaoyuan political meeting. At this time, however, no one was surprised at all.
Everyone had the same idea as Yan Shifan. They all believed that the emperor should distribute spirit stones to everyone before convening a meeting of state.
"The master is bathing. Your Highnesses and Lords, please wait for a moment." Chen Ju stood at the gate of Yuxi Palace and said to everyone.
Although the Ninth Prince has now been crowned as a prince, and with Xu Jie, Zhang Juzheng and others returning to the court, the Ninth Prince has also begun to participate in political affairs, but now, the Ninth Prince is not qualified to participate in the cabinet's political affairs.
As for Prince Yu and Prince Jing, they were previously granted special permission by Jiajing to assist the cabinet, so the two princes could participate in every political meeting.
"Tap tap tap."
After a while, there was another sound of footsteps outside the Yuxi Palace. Everyone looked over and a hint of surprise appeared in their eyes, because the people who came were actually the national masters Qingfeng and Chanshuang.
You should know that these two national masters do not participate in cabinet discussions, unless there is some major event that requires their use, or it is a plateau discussion that concerns matters of cultivation and rewards.
However, at today's political meeting, everyone had already tacitly agreed that the Emperor wanted to distribute spirit stones to all parties in order to facilitate the subsequent spirit stone trade with other countries. Why did the two imperial masters suddenly arrive?
Although, nowadays, the entire Ming Dynasty's immortal cultivation world all tacitly believes in their hearts that the biggest treacherous people in the court are the two factories and one guard, as well as the two Buddhist and Taoist national masters behind them.
The spiritual stone trade of the Ming Dynasty was ostensibly carried out by two factories and one guard, but everyone at the top of the court knew what was going on, so there was naturally no need for the two of them to put on a show.
At that moment, everyone suddenly realized that what was to be discussed in the Yuxi Palace today might not be as simple as they thought.
Yan Song and Xu Jie, the two calm and composed cabinet ministers, had a gleam in their eyes and began to make plans in their minds. Zhang Juzheng, who had grown up thoroughly, was also thoughtful.
Everyone smiled and nodded at Qingfeng and Chanshuang as a greeting, and the two girls also nodded slightly in acknowledgement.
"Hoohoohoo."
Outside Yuxi Palace, the wind began to blow, and the coolness became stronger, but the thinly dressed people remained unmoved. Finally, the sky began to drizzle, accompanied by a fluctuation of spiritual consciousness.
Chen Ju moved slightly, then turned to face the crowd, "Your Highnesses, Imperial Master, and all the elders, please come in."
Led by Prince Yu and Prince Jing, a group of people entered Yuxi Palace one after another.
"Your Majesty, we bow to you. May your Majesty be well." Looking at the kneeling ministers below, Jiajing, who was sitting on the throne above, relaxed his serious face slightly, raised his hand slightly, and said:
"Zhen An, everyone get up."
After everyone stood up, Jiajing didn't waste any words and said directly: "I called you here this time." He raised two fingers and said, "Two things, the first one is naturally the spirit stone."
After hearing the first thing Jiajing said was about the spirit stone, everyone said in their hearts, as expected.
However, they all knew that the focus today was obviously not the spirit stone, but the second thing the emperor was going to talk about.
Under the eager gazes of the crowd, Jiajing paused for a moment before continuing, "I know that you have always had doubts in your hearts since you embarked on the path of cultivating immortals."
"This question is, where does my magic come from!" The moment Jiajing finished speaking, everyone's heart trembled violently, and then they all knelt on the ground and shouted:
"I dare not make any speculations!"
Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. At this moment, they were really afraid of angering the emperor and being executed because they were involved in the emperor's secrets.
Although their intuition told them that the emperor would not punish them for speculating on his intentions just because of their doubts.
But for everything, there is always a fear of retribution. Everyone present knew too well what kind of person their emperor was and who he wanted to deal with. Any incident could be a perfect reason.
Moreover, for the emperor, if he really wanted to deal with someone, stepping through the door with his left foot today would be a disrespect to the emperor.
At this time, Yan Song and Xu Jie were kneeling on the ground with their heads lowered, but their brains were working rapidly.
For these two old foxes, they have already vaguely guessed what the emperor is going to tell them next.
"In the eyes of all of you, the reason why I can embark on the path of immortality and obtain immortality is because there are legendary immortals and even immortal worlds behind me."
As Jiajing spoke, he raised his eyes, but did not let anyone get up. He continued to sit on the throne, looking down on everyone.
"Then today, I will simply tell you," Jiajing said calmly, without any emotion, "Behind me, there is a world."
"Buzz!"
The guess in their hearts was confirmed. At this moment, everyone, including the old fox like Yan Song, felt a tremor in their hearts.
As expected, behind the emperor is the legendary fairyland!
At this moment, the minds of the two princes, Qingfeng and Chanshuang, as well as everyone in the cabinet and the Imperial Household Department, were filled with thoughts.
Of course, after hearing this news, everyone had different thoughts in their minds at this moment.
"There really are immortals in this world!" Wang Chonggu swallowed hard. Although he was kneeling on the ground with his head lowered, the heat in his eyes was undisguised.
"Doesn't this mean that as long as we work hard to cultivate, our final destination will be the legendary fairyland?!"
At this moment, even Yu Dayou, a fierce general who deployed troops on the battlefield, had his facial muscles twitching with excitement, and his tiger eyes were flashing with excitement.
"The fairyland, doesn't this mean that the enemy of our Ming Dynasty in the future will be the legendary fairyland?!" Hu Zongxian, who was relatively safe, felt a flash of excitement and excitement in his heart, but he was secretly alert.
As a student of Yan Song, he himself has a keen political sense. He has long since analyzed through Yan Song the real reason why the emperor is currently developing the Ming Dynasty at a high speed.
This is because anyone with a discerning eye can see that with the current development of Ming Dynasty's national policy, sooner or later the whole world will no longer be able to accommodate Ming Dynasty, so Ming Dynasty must sail into the outer sea of stars in the future.
But, does the extraterritorial star event really mean that there must be a large amount of immortal cultivation resources? Not necessarily!
Therefore, when the Ming Dynasty enters the outer sea of stars in the future, it will inevitably continue to expand and enhance its strength.
All of these things have a very clear purpose, which is to declare war on some existence one day in the future.
Apart from the legendary fairyland, they could not imagine how powerful the future enemies of the daimyo would have to be in order for the emperor to allow the Ming Dynasty to expand indefinitely without considering how to stop it.
"Is this really the fairyland?" Zhang Juzheng, who was kneeling on the ground, frowned slightly. He always felt that the emperor had something else to say.
"It seems that the world that the emperor talked about is not the fairyland in my mind..." A gleam of light flashed in Zhao Zhenji's eyes, and he had a guess in his mind.
As for old foxes like Yan Song and Xu Jie, they had completely denied their previous guesses at this time.
There is a whole world behind the emperor, but it is definitely not a connection, otherwise he would not have said something like “in your opinion”.
For a moment, everyone was guessing, but Jiajing ignored them and continued, "However, that is not the so-called fairyland, but a world of immortal cultivation..."
As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for everyone to be surprised, Jiajing waved his hand, and several streams of light penetrated into the eyebrows of everyone present.
"Boom!" Along with a muffled sound in the mind, all the information about the world of cultivation appeared in everyone's mind at the same time.
What Jiajing told Yan Song and others was only the general basic situation of the entire world of immortal cultivation.
However, he did not tell him about the Daming Immortal Sect he developed in the Great Wilderness and the Tomorrow Tower developed by Lu Fang in the Southern Continent.
Firstly, he planned to focus his future efforts on the Western Continent, which had a harsh, barbaric, and free environment for cultivating immortals. Yan Song and others went there mainly for the spirit stone business and to develop their own forces.
Without his permission, these people would not go to other continents to develop, so naturally there was no need for them to know this.
Secondly, it is for the sake of caution.
What if these people or the families behind them encounter a crisis in the Western Continent?
If he was captured and soul-searched by some cultivators above the Jindan stage, and the layout of the Ming Dynasty in the southern continent was affected and known by the White Horse Academy, all his previous efforts would be in vain.
Although in the early stages, they mainly stayed in this corner of Lingxu Island, the possibility of encountering cultivators above the Jindan stage was very small.
But it is better to be safe than sorry. As the ancients said, it is always better to be cautious.
After all, the enemy of the Ming Dynasty may be the entire world of immortal cultivation in the future, so we cannot be careless!
After more than half an hour had passed, Yan Song and the others began to gasp and look dazed.
In fact, after learning that the emperor's backstage was not the legendary fairyland, but a world of cultivating immortals, and learning all the information related to it, the shock in everyone's hearts was far stronger than that of the fairyland.
Because they could not imagine the specific appearance of the fairyland, they could only imagine a rough outline based on the myths and legends recorded in the world of Daming.
But the world of cultivating immortals is completely different.
Because he himself is a cultivator, and the Ming Dynasty now also has the rudiments of a world of cultivation.
Coupled with the various changes in the era of spiritual energy industry, they can experience the difference between the world of immortal cultivation and the mundane world.
And how magnificent would a vast world of immortal cultivation that has been passed down for tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of years, or even longer be?
To them, these were more shocking than the empty fairyland!
"Everyone, get up." As he spoke, Jiajing waved his hand, and Yan Song and others were helped up by his spiritual power.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." After being helped up by Jiajing, everyone finally realized what was happening and expressed their gratitude.
"Okay," Jiajing said, changing into a comfortable sitting position, and said, "The purpose of my inviting you here this time is to open a passage to Arcturus and the Western Continent for you."
"The spiritual stone trade with other countries has been completely opened. The Ming Dynasty needs a large amount of spiritual stones. You can enter the Xiuxian world to make plans."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the inner circle and the Imperial Household Department, including Yan Song, were all startled!
The emperor allowed them to enter the world of immortal cultivation. Not only that, he also allowed them to enter the world of immortal cultivation to plan for spirit stones!
Everyone present was a smart person. Naturally, the emperor didn't need to explain some things too clearly for them to understand their meaning.
As the saying goes, a horse cannot grow fat without night grass!
Since they are allowed to enter the world of cultivating immortals, one issue is inevitably involved, and that is other spiritual resources!
How could they enter the world of immortal cultivation empty-handed? A clean official in three years could earn him 100,000 silver coins, not to mention the cabinet elders who stood at the pinnacle of power?
But for them, it is always the same sentence!
As long as the final actions and results benefit the Ming Dynasty and the emperor, no matter what they do in the world of immortal cultivation or what plans they have, as long as it is not excessive or out of control, the emperor will turn a blind eye.
In this way, their respective families and their own cultivation will experience a rapid increase in the shortest possible time.
By the time the entire nation of the Ming Dynasty entered the realm of cultivating immortals, these cabinet elders and the families behind them had already stood at the highest point, overlooking all living beings.
Of course, there are too many benefits here, and they can’t think of them all at once.
Really, in such a vast and magnificent world of cultivation, there are too many resources for them to plan. They need to think about these carefully after returning!
The instantaneous change in everyone's expressions naturally could not escape Jiajing's eyes, but he was secretly satisfied in his heart. He was not afraid of having a group of tigers and wolves under his command, but he was afraid of having a group of sheep.
Which one of these people, Yan Song and his son, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, and Zhao Zhenji, was not a tiger or a wolf?
This was also one of the reasons why he re-employed Xu Jie and others after they were demoted.
After all, these people were cultivated by him with great efforts, and their political strategies, intelligence, etc. were all top-notch.
It is undeniable that there were some capable people among the other officials of the Ming Dynasty, but after all, they were not as successful as the team he had built.
As for what will happen to these people after they enter the world of cultivating immortals, he doesn't care at all.
After so many years of tacit understanding between the monarch and his subjects, he will naturally turn a blind eye. These people also know what they want and what their bottom line is, and they will not do anything stupid.
No matter how powerful the immortal cultivation families developed by these people in the cabinet are, they are ultimately a reflection of the strength of the Ming Dynasty.
Before the Ming Dynasty unified the world of immortal cultivation, there was only one principle and belief that was always implemented, and that was wild growth!
Everyone present is a part of his own natal object. No matter what they do, what they say, in the world of immortal cultivation, as long as he wants, he can check it with just a thought.
Therefore, as long as they do not intend to betray the Ming Dynasty and do not harm the interests of the Ming Dynasty, I will not touch them.
He also believed that people as smart as Yan Song would not be so stupid as to seek death.
"Go back and prepare. Tomorrow I will open a passage to the Immortal Cultivation World in your homes. This is your first time entering the Immortal Cultivation World, and I will take you with me."
Jiajing didn't intend to discuss anything with them. After he finished speaking, he stood up and walked towards the side hall.
"Okay, everyone go back, Qingfeng and Chanshuang stay."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the two imperial masters, knelt down to respectfully see Jiajing off, and then stood up and left Yuxi Palace.
This time, the Yuxi Palace's political discussion did not last long, but the content was enough to stir up uproar in everyone's hearts.
The main reason is that the amount of information this time was too huge and it came too suddenly, which caught them completely unprepared.
At this time, there was already a drizzle above the gloomy sky, and the chill was enough to chill ordinary people to the bone.
The three people walking in the front were Prince Yu, Wang Chonggu and Zhang Juzheng. After all, Zhang Juzheng could now be regarded as a descendant of Prince Yu.
Behind Prince Yu and his two companions were Prince Jing and Yu Dayou.
After that, Zhao Zhenji and Gao Gong traveled together. Although Gao Gong supported the fifth prince Zhu Zaichun, Zhao Zhenji never chose to side with the prince. Therefore, the two still maintained their close relationship as they did in Nanjing and discussed everything together.
Behind Zhao Zhenji and Gao Gong were Yan Song, Yan Shifan and Hu Zongxian.
The last one was Xu Jie walking alone in the rain.
Xu Jie was walking alone in the strong wind, looking inexplicably lonely.
"I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect it..." Yan Shifan clapped his hands with his fists, and was so excited that he almost jumped up.
"We all guessed wrong. Behind the emperor is no fairyland at all, but a vast and magnificent world of immortal cultivation... Most importantly, we are allowed to enter!"
When speaking, Yan Shifan's tone was extremely excited, as if he had already seen a lot of resources pouring towards him.
Ever since the Yan family put the focus of future family development on how to make the family take root in all walks of life and make plans for the future, it can be said that the Yan family gave up a large part of its spiritual resources.
Although the spiritual resources left behind are more than most people, this is obviously a significant reduction in income for the Yan family, which has always been famous for corruption and bribery.
This also resulted in the Yan family having no surplus resources other than those needed to maintain the basic cultivation of family members.
In addition, some resources must be left behind to support some officials and families inside and outside the court who are loyal to the Yan family.
After all, if the Yan family wants to pave the way for the family's future, they have to mobilize all the forces inside and outside the government.
It can be said that in Yan Shifan’s own eyes, the Yan family’s life was very “tight”.
Therefore, the emergence of the spirit stone trade made him realize that he could bring a considerable income to the Yan family in the future. What he did not expect was that the emperor would suddenly give them a surprise.
A vast and vast world of immortal cultivation, how many and how wide the resources for immortal cultivation are? It is unimaginable!
As for the trade of spirit stones among various countries, well, at this moment, in his opinion, it was nothing more than a small profit.
"Dad, with the resources of the immortal world, our Yan family's strength will surely advance by leaps and bounds," Yan Shifan licked his lips excitedly and said, "This time, we are really rich!"
"Ruzhen, what do you think?" Although Yan Song was very excited at this time, compared with Yan Shifan, he was still mature and steady. He turned to look at the steady Hu Zongxian.
"Looking at Eunuch Lu's expression, he must have already entered the world of immortal cultivation." Hu Zongxian started the conversation.
"Eunuch Lu is the emperor's confidant, so it is only natural." Yan Song nodded and sighed.
Lu Fang was the emperor's household slave. In terms of loyalty, he was not comparable to him or even Hai Rui.
No matter how low the status of a domestic servant is, he is of the same mind as his master and is considered a family member.
What's more, everything the eunuchs have comes from the imperial power. In terms of trust, it is a natural trust, which they, the ministers, can never compare to.
"There is no doubt that the world of immortal cultivation is a huge source of resources, but it is also the future enemy of our Ming Dynasty!" At this point, Hu Zongxian's mood, which was originally comfortable because of the upcoming large amount of resources, became heavy.
Hu Zongxian is a person who knows how to blend in with the world.
In fact, all officials inside and outside the court, whether they are honest or corrupt, as long as they have some ability, understand that the future of the Ming Dynasty means that they must fight from the moment they embark on the path of cultivating immortals.
How to fight? The monks fight for their lives with the heavens, but they are officials of the Ming Dynasty. Their heaven is the emperor, so they cannot fight for their lives with the heavens. For them, this "fight" means to be one with the world.
When it’s time to grab resources, do it decisively and ruthlessly. If you don’t grab them, what will happen to your family? What will happen to your immortal path? Do you still want to become an immortal? Do you still want to be immortal?
Hu Zongxian is a typical representative of this type of people.
He already knew how to blend in with the world, and actually had the same idea as Yan Shifan after he learned about the existence of the world of immortal cultivation.
That is, both he and the Hu family behind him will get more resources for cultivating immortals.
But he is still a capable minister and he will not be blinded by the immediate benefits.
He knew that the only way to obtain more leisure resources without being held accountable by the emperor was to let the Ming Dynasty profit!
He needs to put the interests of the Ming Dynasty and the emperor first at all times, think about what the emperor thinks about, and worry about what the emperor worries about.
As the power of Ming Dynasty grows in the future, the emperor will certainly lead Ming Dynasty to invade the entire world of immortal cultivation.
This means that for some time in the future, the Ming Dynasty will be in a state of war for a long time.
This period of time will be very long, very long, beyond imagination, and how many people will die in this process? All these are unknown, but he must remain in awe!
"Yes, the enemy of the Ming Dynasty in the future is not some mortal country, but the real immortal cultivators..." Yan Song naturally knew the worries of his student.
"Oh," Yan Song suddenly chuckled, patted Hu Zongxian who was supporting him, and said comfortingly:
"Ruzhen, it's too far to think about these things for now. Let's talk about what's next, entering the world of cultivation."
"Yes," Hu Zongxian nodded, suppressed his worries about the future, took a deep breath of cold air, and said, "Students believe that we must not be careless after entering the world of immortal cultivation."
"Since the Emperor has given us access to the world of immortal cultivation, that means we can travel between the two worlds freely, but he hasn't asked us to do anything?"
“This may seem lenient, but it is actually a warning to us!”
"Warning?" Upon hearing this, Yan Shifan raised his eyebrows, but did not refute. Instead, he slightly came out of his great surprise and waited for Hu Zongxian's analysis.
Over the years, Yan Shifan has continued to grow.
Although he still had some opinions about Hu Zongxian sometimes, when he should remain rational, he would not bring personal grudges into serious matters.
In other words, Hu Zongxian's performance over the years has completely convinced him!
"Yes, it's a warning!" Hu Zongxian said seriously, "This shows that the emperor is not worried at all that we might do something in the world of immortal cultivation, such as keeping a back-up plan, or..."
"Betraying the Ming Dynasty, betraying the Emperor!"
Hearing this, Yan Shifan's eyelids twitched, and the heat in his heart gradually cooled down. He thought of the imperial seal, which could be used to check whether the political achievements of all officials in the past and present were inflated. At the same time, he thought of the kinds of things their original destiny had been handed over to their natal fields.
All these show that the emperor is not afraid of betrayal at all, and Hu Zongxian's warning is silent!
Anyone who takes the lead will definitely die!
"So, the more we are under this lenient grace, with no requirements, and we are allowed to do whatever we want, the more cautious we must be," Hu Zongxian continued in a deep voice after seeing Yan Shifan understand:
"From now on, no matter how many people from our family enter and what they do, no matter how big or small, everything must be compiled into a book, and then handed over to the Imperial Household Department to inform the emperor!"
"Whether the emperor reads it or not is his own business, but we must show our absolute submission and never betray the emperor or the Ming Dynasty!"
"Huh," Hu Zongxian said, taking a deep breath and exhaling, he said with emotion: "In fact, the grace that the emperor has given us is already great, isn't it? He has given us and our family members the opportunity to live forever. This grace is more than great!"
"We can never repay such a favor."
"Therefore, we should be cautious and tread carefully on everything related to the Emperor. For us, it is not just a matter of subjects dealing with the Emperor, but our duty!"
"Ruzhen," Yan Song nodded, patted Hu Zongxian's shoulder with satisfaction, and said:
"You really didn't let me down!"
"As the saying goes, a little bit of rice is a favor, a big bit of rice is a grudge. Many people only see the good things in front of them, but as they get more and more, they are no longer satisfied and become resentful."
"The Emperor has given us the opportunity to ascend from the mortal realm to the immortal realm, allowing us to enjoy a long and long life..."
"The so-called walking on thin ice is not a good word at other times, but for us, it is the best way to repay the emperor. We must enjoy and respect this feeling!"
"Only in this way can we enjoy eternal peace..." As he said this, Yan Song looked up at the gradually heavier rain.
"I hope that others can understand this truth and keep it in mind, and always remember the grace bestowed by the Emperor!"
At this moment, the conversation between Yan Song and the other two, which had a similar meaning, was also played out in Xu Jie and others' respective homes after they returned.
It can only be said that the people in the cabinet who were carefully trained by Jiajing were indeed very intelligent, were not blinded by the immediate interests, and always maintained a humble and cautious attitude.
"..."
(End of this chapter)
